The Inu Hanging Tree
by SuperAlpha96
Summary: Inuyasha is convicted of a crime he committed while in his full-youki state. After sentenved, Kagome arrives to help clear his name, but is it too late? Songfic: Hanging tree from Hunger Games!


The Inu Hanging Tree

Sometimes when I listen to this song, this is what I picture… well, the first half – atleast.

WARNING: INSINUATING CHARACTERS DEATHS!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the Hanging Tree song from the Hunger Games

I push my way through the throng of angry villagers, to the Hanging Tree. As I make my way through – way too slowly!- I hear glimpses of conversations.

"…A raging demon came and…"

"… my poor baby! Gone! Gone forever…"

"… kill him! Kill the half-breed!..."

"NO!" I shout, drawing attention to myself and the crowd allows me to come forward much more easily now. In the night, only torches bearing light, I watch as the villagers priests charges Inuyasha with murder-

And sentences him to be hanged.

"NOO!"

**Are you, are you  
Coming to the tree  
Where they strung up a man they say murdered three?  
Strange things did happen here  
No stranger would it seem  
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.  
**

I run forward, not caring about the glares people are effortlessly throwing at me. The priest looks at me as if I'm a pesky insect – and just as disposable. Past him, Inuyasha is barely hanging onto conciousness.

_Inuyasha! Just hang on, I'll think of something!_

Earlier, the gang and I had answered this villages plea for help. A vicious demon was tearing everying up in sight; crops, houses, people…

We thought the fight would be easy, but we were so wrong… The full-demon had possesed five shikon shards. It swiped at the Tesaiga as if it were a pesky fly, sending Inuyasha along with it. Having _lost_ his sword, Inuyasha transformed into his unstable demon state. The battle was won, but Inuyasha didn't revert back to his regular hanyo self – even _after_ I gave the command.

Inuyasha ransacked the village, and ended up killing three people. One was an infamous middle-aged man known for stealing crops, another was a young woman – she was the wife of the criminal, and their accomplice – a dirty old man. In my mind, Inuyasha had _saved _these villagers from his victims' future crimes – but the elderly priest didn't think as such.

When Inuyasha collapse, the blood still fresh on his claws, the priest pinned several powerful ofudas and sutras on his still body. The priest then ordered the village men to tied the hanyo up, tying more sutras to the ropes as well. I heard about his trial from an old woman, who saw me with Inuyasha when we first arrived. That's when I ran, rant to the village, ran to _him._

"Inuyasha!" I cry out, hoping he'd hear me and wake up.

It works.

His ears twitch and I hear him mumble my name. His noes twitches, smelling the blood, and his amber eyes snap open and search for me in the crowd.

"Kagome!" he yells, tugging fruitlessly at the ropes. With each yank and tug, a shock of pure energy pulses through the rope, electricuting the hanyo. But he hardly notices as he tries even harder to escape, eyes locked on me. When even _I_ can smell the odor of singed flesh, he stops – defeated.

"Kagome! Run! Get away from here!" He shouts at me.

**Are you, are you  
Coming to the tree  
Where the dead man called out for his love to flee?  
Strange things did happen here  
No stranger would it seem  
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.  
**

_What? He's giving up?_

I shake my head.

"No, Inuyasha! I _refuse_ to leave you! I promised I'd always be by your side."

I walk towards the priest, intending to talk things out with him, but someone from behind yanks my hair; causing me to cry out and fall back. From the base of the tree, Inuyasha growls at whoever holds my black hair. I look up to see an old woman with a strong grip inspect my face before spitting on it.

"Yuck!" I cry out, using the sleeve of my uniform to wipe her saliva away.

My head snaps back as the woman proceeds to drag me to the priest's feet.

"He-hey! I can _walk _ you know-"

"You be in league with the murdering half-breed, are ye not?" She asks me, her eyes narrowed until they're only slits, but still shine in the dark. She dumps me on the ground with one final yank.

"Oww…" I moan, rubbing the back of my head.

"Woman! If you have a problem with me, take it out on _me!_" Inuyasha yells from a few feet away, tugging at the ropes again. "Leave Kagome out of this!"

"Well, are ye or not?" She barks at me, ignoring Inuyasha's outburst.

I nod my head.

"Yes, but he didn't do anything wro-"

"She confesses!" The priest turns to the crowd and bellows. He sweeps his arms out wide and says, "She shall suffer the same fate!"

My heart stops, my jaw drops, and shivers whip down my spine.

"Wha…?" I choke out in disbelief. Behind me, Inuyasha is growling in rage and is thrashing in his restraints.

**Are you, are you  
Coming to the tree  
Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free?  
Strange things did happen here  
No stranger would it seem  
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.  
**

In seconds, I find myself in a similar situation to Inuyasha – minus the sutras. My hands are tied behind my back, ankles tied tegether, and there are multiple layers of rope wrapped tightly around my chest, nearly sufficating me. I bow my head.

"Inuyasha," I manage to croak out, my voice thick with tears. "I'm so sorry. I though I could help…"

Through my bangs, I see him nod his head.

"Yeah, Kagome… I know you did. You always do try to help me out…"

_I failed so miserably this time, though…_

"Don't you dare think this is your fauly, Kagome." I hear Inuyasha bark out. I look up at him. He's not looking at me, but at the prejudice crowd just below our heads. His eyes are steel, cold and just as hard. His jaw is clamped shut. His hands clench and unclench behind his back. "If I hadn't lost it… If I had regained some of my control… Damn! This is what I get for being a Half-Breed!"

"Don't say that, Inuyasha!" I cry out at him. He looks at me with confused eyes. "Inuyasha, it's these people's faults. If they just would have listened to the truth and hear us out-"

"That's not how it works, Kagome." He chuckles darkly.

I look away. I notice that the crowd isn't even paying attention to us anymore.

"Hey, Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"If I'm not going to live to see dawn's early light, I wanna tell you something…" He remains silent, so I continue. "I love you, Inuyasha. Have for a while now. That was one of the reasons I stayed by your side. I understand if you don't even _like_ me, but I just wanted to let you know-"

"I do too."

I turn my head to look at him and find Inuyasha gazing down upon me with a sad smile. His golden eyes are filled with tears that refuse to shed, and that causes me to cry out some more – _because_ he's too proud to cry.

"Really?" I ask him, not truly believeing what I'm hearing.

"Yeah," he chokes out. "I was waiting until _after _ I had defeated Naraku to tell you, after things settled down but…. Guess I'm too late."

I shake my head and smile up at him.

"No… You're never too late to tell someone that…"

We gaze at each other, slowly inching our way towards one another, but we were abruptly interupted by the priest, nooses and blindfolds in his hands.

**Are you, are you  
Coming to the tree  
Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me...  
Strange things did happen here  
No stranger would it seem  
If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree.**

_At least he's kind enough to blindfold us so we don't have to watch each other die…_

I stand tall and manage not to show any weakness or fear, like Inuyasha, as the priest puts the noose over my head. He then places the blindfold over my eyes and I feel the knot behind my head squeeze my skull together. I grunt out my disapproval.

Without sight, my world is darker than before. I rely completely on hearing as I listen to Inuyasha being bound like I.

I even manage to hear him mumble, "I knew I should have thrown you in the well and sealed it forever…"

"Inuyasha," I ask in a whisper.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you didn't. I'm still glad to be by your side."

I thought I heard him gasp, but at that moment the village drums began to play. Each beat louder than the one before. Each beat counting down the seconds Inuyasha and I had left together.

_And I shall cherish every one of them…_


End file.
